Sales-indicator and alarm



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

G. P. DAVIS.

SALES INDICATOR AND ALARM. No. 560,195. Patented May 19, 1896.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

G. F. DAVIS.

SALES INDICATOR AND ALARM.

No. 560,195. Patented May 19, 1896.

AL 1 C C PHOYO UTHOYWASHINGTON D C ANDREW E GRAHAM,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CARROLL F. DAVIS, OF MISSOULA, MONTANA.

SALES-INDICATOR AND ALARM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 560,195, dated May 19,1896. Application filed August 2, 1895. Serial No. 557,933. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARROLL F. DAVIS, a resident of Missoula, county ofMissoula, and State of Montana, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in a Sales-Indicator and Automatic Announcer, of which thefollowing, when taken in connection with the drawings accompanying andforming a part hereof, is a full and complete description sufficient toenable those skilled in the art to which it pertains to understand,make, and use the same.

My invention relates to the class of machines wherein the depressing (orotherwise actuating) a key brings into view a plate or other objectsdisplaying a mark corresponding with the mark indicated on the actuatedkey; and the object of my invention is to ob tain a machine of the kindnamed whereby when the several keys have been actuated a determinednumber of times notice thereof will be automatically given either by theringing of a bell, marking a card or piece of paper, or by some otherequivalent means.

A further object of my invention is to obtain a machine of the characternamed whereby when the notice last above referred to is given at a placedistant from the machineas, say, at the door of the store or other placein which the machine is placed and operated.

In the drawings referred to as forming a part of this specification,Figure 1 is a perspective view of a machine embodying the severalinventions herein set forth and described; Fig. 2, a vertical sectionalview of the machine; Fig. 3, a front elevation of a part of the front ofthe machine, on an enlarged scale, with a portion of the front of thecase removed to show the working parts thereof; and Fig. i is a sideelevation of a modification of the working parts of the machine.

A reference-letter applied to a given part is used to designate suchpart wherever the same appears throughout the several figures of thedrawings.

A is the case of the machine, and B B are the keys thereof.

1) Z) are the shanks of keys B B.

C O are the indicators exposed to view when the keys B B are depressed.

In the herein-described machine embodying my invention the indicators CO are exposed to view only so long as the keys corresponding therewithare maintained in a depressed position.

D D are levers fulcrumed on red E. Shanks Z) Z) of the keys B B aresecured at the lower ends thereof, respectively, to the correspondingone of the lovers 1).

F F are rods connecting the indicators 0 C, respectively, with the leverD of the corresponding keys B B.

G G are ratchet-wheels loosely mounted on red E, so as to rotate freelythereon.

g is a detent pawl permitting forward motion in ratchet-wheel G, but notpermitting backward motion in such ratchet-wheel.

II is a pawl secured at one end by pin 71 on lever D and engaging at theother end with the teeth of ratchet-wheel G.

I is a spring secured at one end to pawl II and at the other endimmovably secured. Each of the levers D has associated therewith, aslast above described, a ratchet-wheel G, a detent-pawl g, having lug gthereon, pawl H, and spring I.

J is a metal comb, forming a suitable electrical conductor andhavingteeth jjj extending into the plane of the movement of lugs g g ofratchet-wheels G G.

K is a wire electrically connected at one end to comb J and extendingtherefrom to one of the poles of primary battery L, and K is a wireconnected to the other pole of battery L and extending to andelectrically connected with one of the binding-posts m m of electricsignal or alarm M.

K is a wire electrically connected at one end to the other binding-postm of signal or alarm M and extending therefrom to and electricallyconnected with the rod E.

In the last above-described arrangement of wires K K K primary batteryL, signal or alarm M, rod E, and ratchet-wheels G G, mounted on rod E,the lugs g g are arranged to come in electrical contact with thecorresponding one of teeth jj of comb .I, and once in the completerevolution of each ratchet-wheel G such contact is made. In

the arrangement of this electrical circuit the wire K may have branches,as h, in electric contact with the ratchet-whcels G G, respectively, ifpreferred; but I consider it a simpler construction to make rod E ofelectric conducting material and mount the several ratchet-wheelsthereon in electric contact therewith.

Referring to the construction illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 of thedrawings, when any one of the keys B B is depressed the lever D, towhich such key is connected, is moved on its fulcrum, the end thereof towhich the shank of such key is secured being depressed and the oppositeend being elevated, and thereby connection F, secured to such elevatedend of the lever, is moved upward longitudinally and the indicatorcorresponding with the depressed key is raised into view. On releasingthe key it, together with lever D, rod F, indicator C, and pawl II, isreturned to its initial position by spring I, and when any one of thekeys B B has been depressed a sufficient number of times to rotate wheelG so that lug g thereon is in electrical contact with a toothj of comb Jan alarm or a signal will be given. In this manner a signal or an alarmwill be given when a determined number of sales corresponding in amountare indicated by a given indicator. If such alarm consists in ringing abell, (as bell m of alarm FL) such ringing will continue until the lug ghas been taken from electrical contact with the corresponding teeth ofthe comb .I. \Vhere it is desired to have the ringing of the bellcontinuous from the making of a determined number of sales to the makingof the next sale of the same amount, ratchet-wheel G should have thenumber of teeth thereon correspond to the number of sales to be madeafter the giving of one alarm before the givin g of another alarm butotherwise the wheel G may have one or more than such number of teeth,and then the key actuating it can be depressed at any time, and therebythe wheel turned sufficiently to break the electric contact between lugg and comb J.

In the modification illustrated in Fig. 4 the alarm is givenmechanically, and not by closing an electric circuit. In thismodification the key I3, with shank I), indicator 0, lever D, rod E,connection F, ratchet-wheel G, pawl g, lug g, pawl II, and spring I mayall be retained, not modified in any way. The signal or alarm mayconsist of a common springactuated alarm-bell, arranged to be releasedby removing stop 0 from engagement with the teeth of wheel I. Q is alongitudinallymovable rod mounted in standards (1 q. q q are shoulderson red Q, engaging with arm 0' of stop 0'. In arm 0 there may be anopenin g through which the rod Q may extend and through which, where apermanent record is to be made of the given signal or alarm, such roddoes extend, as in the construction illustrated in Fig. at. Q is thepart of rod Q eX- tending through and beyond arm 0. Q is a die or punchon the end of part Q of rod Q. R R are cards adapted to have punchedtherein the mark formed by the die Q and such die (as well the markthereby made) corresponds with the key actuating it. Sis adeliveryspout, from which the marked card is delivered. T is astorage-receptacle for cards, and t is a slot through which a card canbe forced into position back of the die Q for marking. T is a springforcing the cards in storage-receptacle T forward, so that one thereofis over slot 2. S is a movable slide in receptacle T, arranged to forcethe cards R thereunder through slot '6 to in front of die Q in its downstroke. U is an extension to stop 0, connected with slide S, so thatmovement of such stop will actuate the slide. V is a spring secured atone end to arm O and immovably secured at the other end thereof, tendingto maintain arm 0 in position, so that stop 0 is in engagement withwheel P, and also tendin g to hold rod Q in its initial position throughthe contact of shoulders q g on rods Q in contact with arm 0. Theoperation of the modification illustrated in Fig. &, so far as theexposing the indicator G to view, is the same as in the constructionillustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. The releasing of the signal or alarm iseffected by the movement of rod Q. K K are wires forming part of anelectric circuit extending outside of case A and to alarn'is or signalsM M Fig. 1, and to the poles of bat tery L. IV is a comb against whichlug IV on red Q is brought in electrical contact in the forward movementof rod Q. \Vire K is secured to comb IV and wire K- to lug IV. Signals MM are located where desiredas, say, one at the cashiers desk and one atone of the entrance-doors of the place where the machine is working.here, as illustrated in Fig. 4, the stencil and card-supplying devicesare used, the raising of stop 0 raises ex tension U and slide S. Asslide S is raised a card It is forced thereunder by spring T, so thatwhen arm 0 is returned to its initial position (by sprin gV) the slide Swill be forced down and a new card R forced through slot 6 to in frontof die Q The forward movement of the die Q against cardR- in frontthereof impresses or cuts therein the mark on such stencil. In theconstruction illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 the alarm or signal M iscontinuously operative after lug g is brought in electrical contact withcomb J until the key B is again depressed and such lug moved from suchelectrical contact by rotating wheel G, and the same result is obtainedin the modification illustrated in Fig. 4:, as in both constructions thedetent-pawl g holds wheel G from moving backward, except that if the lugg is so located 011 wheel G, as indicated by dotted pin 9 Fig. 4:, thatthe movement of such wheel through the are measured by one of the teeththereof is sufficient to bring lug g into engagement with comb J (or redQ) and over the same to release therefrom. I prefer to place the lug gas hcreinbefore described, so that the period of time during which thesignal or alarm is given is controllable.

The machine, constructed as described is designed and arranged to beused, primarily, for advertising purposes. For instance, if the machineis used bya boot and shoe dealer thekeys of the apparatus should havethereon figures to correspond with the prices of the boots and shoes,slippers, &c., on sale. It will then occur that when a pair of slippers,a pair of boots, or a pair of shoes are sold the key of the machinehaving thereon figures corresponding with the price of the goods will bein each case depressed-that is, if the price of the slippers isseventy-five cents the key having cents thereon will be depressed; ifthe price of the boots is seven dollars and fift-y cent-s the key havingthereon $7.50 will be depressed, and if the price of the shoes is fourdollars the key having thereon $5-t00 will be depressed, and so for eachsale the key having a figure thereon corresponding with the price of thegoods sold will be depressed. Assuming the ratchetwheels to be allduplicates and each one thereof to have eleven teeth thereon, eacheleventh depression of any key will give an alarm. Assuming, further,that the dealer using the apparatus advertises that every tenth pair ofseventy-five-cent slippers is to be given away, that every tenth pair ofseven-dollar-andfifty-cent boots is to be given away, that every tenthpair of four-dollar shoes is to be given away, and so on, on every tenthsale of a pair of seventy-fivecent slippers the apparatus mustautomatically give the alarm. Such alarm may continue until the nextsale; but if the alarm is common to all the keys, and in every instanceto avoid confusion, it is necessary to stop the alarm before thedepressing of the key of the apparatus corresponding with the goodssold; otherwisethe continued giving of the alarm will be taken as to beapplied to the new sale, which must be avoided. So the eleventhdepression of the key giving a signal is made and the giving of thesignal stopped before the depression of the key corresponding with thenew sale. Such new sale may be of another pair of seventy-five-centslippers, in which case the signal will not be given, being the firstsale of the ten necessary to give the signal, or it may be the tenthsale of a pair of boots at seven dollars and fifty cents, in which casethe signal will be given. As an indicator corresponding with the keydepressed should at all times be shown to advise the operator as well asthe purchaser of the particular sale producing the alarm, and as thecontinued display of the amount of the purchase, together with thecontinued giving of the alarm, would advise persons taking note thereofand so tend to prevent a purchase of goods the tenth sale whereof hasjust been made rather than to induce such purchase, I find it advisableto stop the showing of the indicator within a reasonable time of themaking of the sale, and hence I attach the indicator as described, sothat when the key is released the indicator drops out of sight. Thecontinued exhibition of the indicator is not 11ccessarily hurtful totrade, and hence where one tooth more than the number of salesadvertised to give a signal is provided on the ratchet-wheel G theordinary construction, whereby the indicatorcorresponding to a keydepressed is maintained in view until another key is depressed, may beadopted, if preferred. In such case the eleventh depression of a keywill stop the giving of the signal, while the indicator will be exposedto view after the signal has stopped.

Having thus described my invention and the construction of a machineembodying the same, the operation thereof, and the manner of use of thesame, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of a series of indicating-cards, a series of keys,and a series of connecting-levers between the keys and correspondingcards, a series of ratchet-wheels rotatably mounted on a shaft,connections between the levers and the corresponding ratchet-wheels,whereby movement of a lever of the series actuates the correspondingratchet-wheel in one direction, an alarm, an abutment on eachratchet-wheel, and a c011- nection between all the abutments of theseries and the alarm, whereby actuating a key of the series a determinednumber of times will give the alarm independently of the actuation ofall or any of the other keys of the series; substantially as described.

2. In a sales-indicator and automatic announcer, having a series ofkeys, a series of indicating-cards and a connection between each key andthe corresponding indicatingcard, the combination of a series ofratchetwheels, abutments on the raichet-wheels, respectively, pawls,connecting the keys with the corresponding ratchet-wheels, an alarm, anda connection between each of the abutments and the alarm, whereby when akey of the series has been actuated a given number of times the alarmcommon to all the keys of the series will be given independently of theactuation of the other keys of the series, and at such giving of thecommon alarm the indicatingcard corresponding with the key producing thealarm will be simultaneously shown; substantially as described.

3. The combination in a sales-indicator and automatic announcer having aseries of indicating-cards, a series of keys and connections between therespective keys and the corresponding indicating-cards of a series ofratchet-wheels, a series of pawls, a connec tion between the respectivepawls and the corresponding ratchet-wheels, and keys, an abutment oneach ratchet-wheel of the series, and an electric circuit having analarm interposed therein, the respective abutments on the ratchet-wheelsforming, when the key of the series which corresponds thereto has beenactuated a determined number of times, a part of the electric circuitand the circuit closer and breaker, independently of the actnation ofthe other keys of the series; substantially as described.

4:. A bank of keys, a bank of indicators, connections between the keysand corresponding indicators, an alarm, and connections between all ofthe keys and such alarm, every one of the mechanisms connecting therespective keys and the common alarm requiring a uniform number ofactuations of the key thereof, to give such common alarm, independentlyof the aetuations of other keys of the series; substantially asdescribed.

5. In an indicating and alarm mechanism, the combination of theindicator, means for actuating said indicator, with an alarm, andconnections for operating said alarm upon the actuation of saidindicator a fixed number of times; substantially as described.

6. In an indicating and alarm mechanism, the combination of theindicator, a key and connections for actuating said indicator, with analarm, and connections for operating said alarm upon the actuation ofsaid indicator a definite number of times; substantially as described.

7. In an indicating and alarm mechanism, the combination of theindicator, means for actuating said indicator, with an audible alarm,and connections for sounding said alarm upon the actuation of saidindicator a fixed number of times; substantially as described.

8. In an indicating and alarm mechanism, the combination of the seriesof indicators, means for actuating any desired one of said indicators,with an alarm and connections for operating said alarm whenever any oneof said indicators has been operated a fixed numbcr of times;substantially as described.

CARROLL ll. DAVIS.

In presence of- FLoRA L. BROWN, F. M. Mela-nun.

